Belarusians

Neighborhoods They Settled In: Tremont.

First Immigrants 1880

The Byelorussians began arriving in Cleveland in 1880. During this early immigration, Belarusians were listed in various documents as Russians. But, they were actually Belarusians and Ukrainians. They settled in the Tremont- West 14^th – Starkweather area; and on the East side along Broadway. Eastern Orthodox Byelorussians tend to affiliate with the local parish of the Byelorussian Autocephalic Orthodox Church. This parish was established in 1951 and the first services were held in a rented building located between W. 14^th and Starkweather. In 1957 an empty lot and house were bought, between Scranton Road and W. 25^th St. A new church – The Mother of God of Zyrovicy was built here and consecrated in 1959. Other Byelorussians went further southwest to the Pearl Road, Memphis and Denison area. There is a separate section in Riverside Cemetery for Belarusian burials. St. Theodosius Church in Tremont was largely built by Belarusians. The first Belarusian organization in Cleveland was a chapter of the Belarusian-American Association of New York City. Later, there was the Belarusian-American Youth, Belarusian-American Veterans, Women's Auxiliary, Women's Ensemble, and Vasilki.